Locked out of PC when password set - TweakUI responsible?

[Jim Macleod]

My PC is set up with just one user, but that one user is password
protected. I recently installed TweakUI and immediately tried setting
various TweakUI options - inadvisably as it turned out, because when I
then rebooted, the welcome screen came up without the icon for the one
user. I could therefore not enter my password, could find no way to get
into Windows and eventually had to resort to rolling in a previous
system backup [a Ghost backup].

I am posting this mainly as a possible warning to others, but for future
reference does anyone know of any way in which I could have got into the
system? What was the TweakUI setting responsible (if it was in fact
TweakUI)?

Running WinXP with SR2.

 

[Bert Kinney]

Hi Jim,

Ctrl+alt+del twice at the welcome screen might do it.

If not this is where the hidden account called 'Administrator' comes
in.
Boot, hitting F8 as BIOS info goes to black to get the Menu and take
Safe Mode.
That should then at 'Welcome' include an icon for 'Administrator'; if
not hit CTL+ALT+DEL twice to get a logon dialog, enter the explicit
name Administrator and assume that password is null, so enter
immediately. Undo the changes that caused the problem.

 

[Jim Macleod]

Many thanks. I've tried out your suggestions as far as I dared (i.e.
short of deliberately locking myself out of my machine again!) and I'm
pretty sure your method would work on future occasions. I've made a
#paper# copy of your posting for reference if I am locked out again!

Thanks again - Jim

17:26:08 in microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support, Bert Kinney

Hi Jim,

Ctrl+alt+del twice at the welcome screen might do it.

If not this is where the hidden account called 'Administrator' comes
in. Boot, hitting F8 as BIOS info goes to black to get the Menu and
take Safe Mode. That should then at 'Welcome' include an icon for
'Administrator'; if not hit CTL+ALT+DEL twice to get a logon dialog,
enter the explicit name Administrator and assume that password is
null, so enter immediately. Undo the changes that caused the problem.

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://dts-l.org/

My PC is set up with just one user, but that one user is
password protected. I recently installed TweakUI and
immediately tried setting various TweakUI options -
inadvisably as it turned out, because when I then
rebooted, the welcome screen came up without the icon for
the one user. I could therefore not enter my password,
could find no way to get into Windows and eventually had
to resort to rolling in a previous system backup [a Ghost
backup].
I am posting this mainly as a possible warning to others,
but for future reference does anyone know of any way in
which I could have got into the system? What was the
TweakUI setting responsible (if it was in fact TweakUI)?

Running WinXP with SR2.

 

[Bert Kinney]

You're welcome Jim.

You may find this article to be helpful also.
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/lostpass.htm

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://dts-l.org/

Many thanks. I've tried out your suggestions as far as I
dared (i.e. short of deliberately locking myself out of
my machine again!) and I'm pretty sure your method would
work on future occasions. I've made a #paper# copy of
your posting for reference if I am locked out again!
Thanks again - Jim

Fri, 6 May 2005 17:26:08 in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support, Bert Kinney

Hi Jim,

Ctrl+alt+del twice at the welcome screen might do it.

If not this is where the hidden account called
'Administrator' comes in. Boot, hitting F8 as BIOS info
goes to black to get the Menu and take Safe Mode. That
should then at 'Welcome' include an icon for
'Administrator'; if not hit CTL+ALT+DEL twice to get a
logon dialog, enter the explicit name Administrator and
assume that password is null, so enter immediately. Undo the
changes that caused the problem. --
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://dts-l.org/

My PC is set up with just one user, but that one user is
password protected. I recently installed TweakUI and
immediately tried setting various TweakUI options -
inadvisably as it turned out, because when I then
rebooted, the welcome screen came up without the icon
for the one user. I could therefore not enter my
password, could find no way to get into Windows and
eventually had to resort to rolling in a previous
system backup [a Ghost backup].
I am posting this mainly as a possible warning to
others, but for future reference does anyone know of
any way in which I could have got into the system? What
was the TweakUI setting responsible (if it was in fact
TweakUI)? Running WinXP with SR2.